Charlie Louise Mock

Ydych chi’n siarad Cymraeg?

It’s hardly a new development. Music was an inherent part of the Welsh culture long before Tom Jones gave ‘It’s Not Unusual’ to Carlton Banks’ famous dance moves. No, ‘the Land of Song’ has been churning out music since the twelfth century and it isn’t stopping any time soon. Ask anyone and they’ll be able to name a myriad of Welsh artists, be it Newport’s favourite alternative rock band Feeder or veteran on the scene Shirley Bassey. That being said, ask someone to name an artist who sings primarily in the mother tongue of our Celtic nation and you’re likely to be left hanging. Why? Well, approximately 73% of the population in Wales have no Welsh speaking skills, leaving a tiny 27% to lead the movement. Before music in the Welsh language has even left its country of origin, it’s deemed a minority. But when did that ever stop anyone?

            Organisations throughout the country work hard to ensure that the music of Wales is given the attention it deserves. Both Mentrau Iaith Cymru and Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg host battle of the bands shows and annual festivals presenting acts who utilise the Welsh language in their music as well as BBC Wales, BBC Cymru and Huw Stephens at Radio One showing their continuing support and promotion of the scene. The abundance of record labels championing the Welsh language is just as strong, with Cardiff based Peski putting on a regular night to showcase the latest talent that has emerged on the circuit. Not only is it a community that is growing consistently, the music industry in Wales boasts a collection of top-class artists.  This attention, albeit getting the hard work of talented musicians noticed also begs the question, why are only Welsh media outlets pushing the dreamy Celtic lyrics into the limelight? If ‘Sunday Girl’ can get to number 1 with a verse in French, who says a Welsh act can’t follow in Blondie’s footsteps and get their own language recognised on a national or worldwide scale?

            With the Welsh language heralding a history placed firmly in the genre of folk and evoking memories of the many male voice choirs that get through to the semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent, it’s no wonder that the Great British public are slightly close-minded towards the vast amount of music hiding behind the border. Earlier this year, 19 year-old Bronwen Lewis attempted to break down the stereotypes clinging to the language with what was described as a haunting translation of Sting’s ‘Fields of Gold’ for BBC talent show The Voice. Despite not progressing in the competition, Lewis received strong support from all four of the show’s judges, with Jessie J telling her that she didn’t need the show to have a career. In the sixth months since the initial airing of Bronwen’s episode of The Voice, she has been signed to Thumb Print Music on a six-year contract. Lewis opened up following the show saying that ‘more Welsh music needs to be sung on television, it needs to be more accessible to people my age’ and what better place to begin than the great big network in the clouds (no, not heaven), the Internet.

Producer, DJ, radio presenter and musician Gwenno has been in the industry for seven years and with experiences of singing in Welsh, Cornish and English is adamant that music should not be ruled by language. ‘We’re in an era where interesting things in music can get out there- music isn’t language’ she enthuses, believing that the internet revolution should be used to its full advantage to ensure that music produced in any foreign language receives the appreciation it deserves. Websites like Soundcloud and LastFM are overflowing with artists creating music using some of the world’s most diverse sounds and since technology is making it easier than ever for those outside of the mainstream to present their work to an audience of millions, a lack of platforms no longer poses a barrier. ‘This is an age where there is so much music and so much access to it, if you have another form of expression you should pursue it’ she continues, ‘before the Internet you could just be dismissive’ she emphasises outlining the vast expanse of music that young people in particular are exposed to today.

Georgia Ruth, singer, harpist and winner of this year’s Welsh Music Prize with her album ‘Week of Pines’, which features a combination of tracks in both English and Welsh agrees with Gwenno saying ‘if you can express yourself in the Welsh language, why not?’ In spite of this, some still feel that singing in a language understood by such a small proportion of the UK’s population is limiting your chances of progressing in the industry. Welsh singers Sen Segur have spoken out about playing shows engineered purely for those who speak the language, saying that it’s ‘difficult to reach new audiences because you’re performing to the same circle of people’. As a result, the band has made the decision to switch to the English language in an attempt to maximize their listeners. ‘We don’t feel like we’ve been forced into changing our language, we did it because we wanted to… We love singing in Welsh, it’s in our blood so we’ll never lose it’ responded vocalist Ben. ‘I think that we’ve reached our full potential in Wales, there’s not much else we can do here but keep playing the same venues- it’d be nice to play in front of people we’ve never met before’ they say on the reason behind their upcoming release.

But is a restricted following the only factor leading artists to make the decision to up sticks and switch to a language so already saturated as English? Gwenno points out that in the past ‘people have experimented and not been given much attention for doing so, even in Wales there’s a resistance to the language- its not just about the music’ she says, explaining that the funding behind music in the Welsh language has proved a contentious issue across the country. ‘I think it’s the general influence of the UK in the media and government, which still adheres to the idea that English is the only official language worth having- they don’t represent us’ she continues. Even the new Nordic Noir TV series ‘Y Gwyll’, broadcast on BBC 4 has been stripped of it’s original Welsh language- where its Scandinavian counterparts keep their language and gain subtitles, ‘Y Gwyll’ was filmed in English purely for the purpose of mainstream UK television. With the Celtic tongue struggling to make it to the big time in something that has already received critical acclaim, the worry that the language barrier may never be broken in mediums of entertainment does creep into mind. Despite this, Gwenno insists that ‘the best music ever made was not made as a career thing, it was made to just be in the now… you have to make your own motivation as [the Welsh language] isn’t mainstream.’ When asked if she ever thinks that the language will fade out as a form of musical expression, Gwenno suggested that we ‘always have to have the attitude that it could… the sense of crisis is an artistic motivation.’ So, providing musicians are prepared to brave the wilderness that surrounds the social mainstream of the 21^st century, original and innovative use of the Welsh language in music should continue to strive.

            Of course, opportunities for Welsh artists to get their music recognised within the industry are growing year by year with the Welsh Music Prize and Sŵn Festival about to enter their fourth and eighth years running respectively in 2014. Although events like these can prove career changing for artists, it is not unknown to hear that they feel segregated from the mainstream English speaking performers. ‘There’s no reason why we couldn’t have just performed with the rest of the bands’ suggests Sen Segur’s Ben, having played Nyth Presents, a night dedicated to acts playing in the Welsh language during Sŵn Festival. Co-organiser of both events Huw Stephens insists that they ‘didn’t want to segregate the Welsh and the English because that’s not what [they] think the scene is about- the Welsh music scene in general is very inclusive, so it’s easy to just let the music take precedence.’ With the WMP showcasing artists who sing in both languages and stages across Sŵn and other Welsh festivals like it placing acts from all across the world next to one another, it is not out of the question to ask when similar things will start happening on a larger scale. It’s clear that interest in the scene is certainly not dead. Through the continuous growth of events that champion artists like Gwenno, Georgia Ruth and their contemporaries, it could be only a matter of time before national media outlets shine the spotlight that Welsh language artists have been waiting for.

So, what’s next for Welsh music? Will it continue to showcase the uniqueness that is the country’s language? The answer: undoubtedly. The compromise? We may have to be willing to delve a little deeper into the treasure troves of the ocean that is the World Wide Web in order to reel it out. At least for now anyway.

Gwenno’s single ‘Chwyldro’ is available for download now with the album released in March 2014. Georgia Ruth’s WMP winning ‘Week of Pines’ is also available for download. Look out for Sen Segur’s upcoming English language debut, estimated for release in late December.